GREEN BAY, Wis. — On the same day Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs pleaded no contest to the two misdemeanor charges against him, the judge signed off on a request to temporarily seal the surveillance evidence.
According to Wisn.com, one of Jacobs’ defense attorneys, Clarence Duhac III, filed a motion to temporarily seal the video evidence from inside Jacobs’ home, and Judge Marc Hammer signed off on it. It’s unclear just how long the video will be concealed from the public’s eye.
The video allegedly depicts the May 23 altercation inside Jacobs’ home garage, which, according to what was detailed in the police report, shows Jacobs shoving his then-girlfriend to the ground. The report also states that the victim hit her head—and the bump on her head supported that claim—before walking back into the house after lying on the ground for a while. In the midst of the incident, Jacobs smashed the victim’s phone.
Three days later, Jacobs was arrested by the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department and booked into Brown County Jail on five charges, one of which—strangulation and suffocation—was a Class H felony. Three of the charges were dismissed, and two of them—battery and criminal damage of property—were reduced to misdemeanors. His Nov. 17 court date was moved up to Thursday, Sept. 10, and Jacobs accepted a plea deal that included a $1,000 fine.
Notably, the prosecutors opted not to pursue a domestic violence charge, but that’s more a result of location than anything else. The only thing keeping Jacobs from being charged with domestic violence is the incident taking place in the state of Wisconsin, where either being married or formerly married, or sharing a child, is a prerequisite. Jacobs’ relationship with the victim doesn’t fall under that umbrella.
By pleading no contest to the two misdemeanors, Jacobs is neither admitting guilt nor claiming his innocence, but he’s accepting the charges. The criminal damage of property charge will be dismissed in a year if Jacobs follows these stipulations:
Do no further criminal acts
Do not contact the victim
Submit to Criminal Justice Services for supervision for the next 12 months
Complete a course for battery
Pay restitution to the victim
Jacobs was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List on Aug. 30, prohibiting him from participating in practices or attending games. The league is conducting its own investigation while Jacobs’ legal proceedings unfold, which will likely result in a multi-game suspension for violating the Personal Conduct Policy. However, matters could become increasingly difficult with the existence of the video and the ensuing protection of it. The league’s decision-makers could withhold from suspending Jacobs until they see the video for themselves; what it contains could drastically alter Jacobs’ playing career. There’s also an avenue where Jacobs can provide the video evidence to the league in an effort to expedite their decision while still keeping it from the general public.
The fact of the matter is that, if the video didn’t corroborate the grisly details in the police report and proved Jacobs’ innocence, he should be pushing for it to be released.
Head coach Matt LaFleur has repeatedly deferred to the league’s investigation when asked about Jacobs’ status. He said that the recent plea deal in court hasn’t changed his perception of Jacobs.
“I know the guy, I know the character of the guy,” LaFleur said. “I’ve said it many times. Unfortunately, situations occur in life, and it’s just an unfortunate situation.”
Preparation and bracing for the other shoe to drop has been the general theme of the summer for general manager Brian Gutekunst. There’s a realistic outcome that results with Jacobs being suspended and potentially even released by the Packers, but that’s entirely up to commissioner Roger Goodell. There isn’t any guaranteed money left in the four-year contract Jacobs signed with the Packers in the spring of 2024, so cutting bait would be relatively painless.
In an effort to alleviate Jacobs’ absence, the Packers traded a 2028 sixth-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for running back Kaleb Johnson two weeks ago. A former third-round pick, Johnson fell out of favor in a crowded backfield as a rookie in 2025, and his opportunities dwindled. When it appeared that he was headed for a bigger role this season, the Steelers signed Rico Dowdle and Travis Homer in free agency, pushing Johnson back down the depth chart.
Jacobs, meanwhile, has been a workhorse for the Packers since signing with the team in the spring of 2024. He's played 34 games in total for the Packers—32 in the regular season and two playoff games—and has amassed 31 touchdowns from scrimmage. His production dipped last season—he played in two fewer games and logged 67 fewer attempts—while battling a knee injury that plagued him across the final two months of the year. Jacobs still managed to eclipse 1,200 yards from scrimmage for the sixth time in seven seasons and averaged more than four yards per carry for the fourth time in the last five years.
Zachary Jacobson is the author of The Packer Dispatch. He is entering his 12th season covering the Green Bay Packers after spending seven as the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter @zachjacobson or contact him via email at itszachariahj@gmail.com.